Where will you store your emergency food storage?

On top of the bin full of camping gear, under your box full of vacation memorabilia, or next to seldom-used but handy tools; Everywhere you look, it’s hard to find extra storage space in your home. Most people would agree with that statement, pack rat tendencies or not. Since people buy pre-made freeze-dried foods, water supplies, 72-hour kits, and other similar items for emergency preparedness plans, you might be thinking it’s a good idea to do the same. However, where are you going to store your emergency food storage in an already full house?

Below are some tips on how to make room for storage of emergency food and other supplies.

• Think vertically: Opportunities for more storage are often wasted due to the space left on top of the stored boxes. Since guests rarely visit your storage areas, inexpensive, homemade solutions can be created to use space that would otherwise go to waste. For example, a piece of thin coat hanger wire hanging from shelves can become a new place to hang lightweight tools. This is just one of dozens of examples that could allow more space to store large water bottles and pre-made dehydrated meals for emergency supplies.
• The three “C’s” (Condense, Compact and Combine): Many tools, toys and other kitchen accessories or hardware can come in their own cases. Eliminating unnecessary packaging and combining items into a single unit can take up less space. While water can use the same mass, the same principle of the three “C’s” can be applied to the type of food being stored. Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods are condensed and compacted into smaller sizes. While canned food storage is a great way to store food, you can have at least 10 times more in storage than freeze-dried foods that take up the same space. Additionally, many consumers agree that higher quality can be found in many prepared foods today than in typical canned foods, not to mention that the variety will be welcome if the occasion ever arises for its use.
• Use stackable storage containers: Bins can be an easy way to organize storage. Marking and labeling them helps to classify the different items: one for Christmas decorations, another for winter clothes, etc. However, the best feature is being able to stack them vertically. Fortunately, to accommodate this common practice, many freeze-dried food storage retailers sell their items in bulk and also in stackable storage containers.
• Priorization: Inevitably, when it comes to making room for more storage, like emergency food kits, things usually have to be thrown out. Making a list of the things you own and prioritizing their importance can help you determine what is most essential. As nice as it is to have a box of old trophies to stroll down memory lane, the peace of mind of having food storage for your emergency plan probably means more to you and your family.

The above list is just a few of the many ideas that can help you think outside the box to make more space that works for your home for food storage. These same organizational skills will not only give you more space for food storage, but can be applied to all other aspects of home, work, and other organizational needs.